Flight Safety Information
July 17, 2012 - No. 146
In This Issue
Fugitive tried to steal plane
Man who stole plane, committed suicide wanted in connection with murder
ARGUS PROS Aviation Auditing
Fugitive tried to steal plane
(CNN) -- A fugitive attempted to steal a commercial plane at a southwest Utah airport
but apparently committed suicide before getting airborne, a law enforcement official told
CNN Tuesday.
SkyWest Airlines said one of its employees on administrative leave was involved in a
ground incident with an aircraft at St. George Municipal Airport and is now dead.
It provided no other details on what happened early Tuesday.
The fugitive was wanted on unspecified state charges and was attempting to avoid
capture, the official said.
SkyWest Airlines said in a statement that no passengers were on board the CRJ200 and
that it was not in service at the time.
"The aircraft did sustain damage; the extent of the damage is currently being inspected
by our maintenance and safety professionals," the airline said. "SkyWest is cooperating
with authorities in the investigation."
SkyWest said passengers were being accommodated on other flights and through ground
transportation.
The FBI office in Salt Lake City said agents were at the airport and gathering facts with
other agencies.
"It is important to note there is no ongoing public safety issue, and the scene is under
the control of law enforcement," Agent Debbie D. Bertram said.
Spokesman David Castelveter of the Transportation Safety Administration said the
agency was reviewing "perimeter compliance" at the airport.
According to Jane's All the World's Aircraft, the CRJ200 typically seats 50 passengers.
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Man who stole plane, committed suicide wanted in connection with murder
ST. GEORGE (Utah) - A commercial pilot wanted in connection with the killing of his
girlfriend in Colorado Springs tried to steal a commercial airplane early Tuesday at the
St. George Municipal Airport, then committed suicide, investigators said.
The man who shot and killed himself inside a commandeered SkyWest airplane early
Tuesday was 40-year- old Brian Joseph Hedglin, St. George spokesman Mark Mortensen
confirmed.
In Colorado Springs, police have been looking for Hedglin since Friday in connection with
the death of his girlfriend, 39-year-old Christina Cornejo. Hedglin had previously been
arrested for a harassment case involving Cornejo, but was free on bail, according to the
Colorado Springs Gazette. The two had been dating for four years when she told him in
March she wanted a break.
Friday, police were called to Cornejo's apartment by a relative to perform a welfare
check and found her dead inside.
Just before 1 a.m. Tuesday, a security guard doing a routine check at the St. George
Municipal Airport spotted a motorcycle parked next to the barbed wire gate that borders
the airport property, Mortensen said. The engine was still warm.
He then noticed a rug thrown over the wire part of the fence as if someone had climbed
over. Moments later, he heard a SkyWest CRJ200 aircraft start up.
Hedglin first backed the plane up, Mortensen said, then moved forward, clipping the
terminal. Somehow, the plane ended up in the parking lot and crashed into parked
vehicles, he said.
Brian Hedgelin, who was wanted in connection with a stabbing murder in Colorado
Springs, apparently stole a a plane and then shot himself while on board in St. George.
No one on the ground was injured. The crash apparently prevented Hedglin from taking
off.
Hedglin then shot himself once, killing himself inside the plane, Mortensen said.
"The aircraft did sustain damage. The extent of the damage is currently being inspected
by our maintenance and safety professionals," SkyWest said in a prepared statement.
The plane was not in service at the time and there were no passengers on board. It was
not immediately known how Hedglin gained access into the aircraft. Hedglin held a
commercial airline pilot license and worked for SkyWest. The airline released a statement
saying he was "on administrative leave" at the time of the accident.
"While the airport was closed overnight, a SkyWest aircraft at the St. George Municipal
Airport in Utah was involved in a ground incident while the aircraft was not in service,"
SkyWest said in a prepared statement. "Until the airport is reopened, passengers with
Delta Connection flights to and from St. George are being re-accommodated on other
flights as well as with ground transportation from nearby Cedar City."
The FBI and St. George police are investigating the incident.
"The FBI is on scene at the St. George Airport, along with St. George police and the TSA.
We are conducting a joint investigation. We are still gathering facts, but it is important to
note there is no ongoing public safety issue and the scene is under the control of law
enforcement," FBI spokeswoman Debbie Bertram said.
Mortensen said all commercial flights were cancelled until further notice. The private
portion of the airport was still open. The St. George airport handles seven flights a day.
Both Cornejo and Hedglin were with the Colorado Army National Guard. Hedglin has
been part-time with the Guard since 2008, said Colorado National Guard spokesman
Capt. Darin Overstreet. He was a "food service specialist," or a cook, he said.
Hedglin participated in traditional National Guard drills, but was never deployed,
Overstreet said. Cornejo was a full-time National Guard member, joining in 2006 and
becoming an officer in 2011. She was part of the 100 Missile Defense Brigade,
Overstreet said.
Additional details will be posted as they become available.
Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI
CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC